Musicals make a splash on region's summer stages

The summer season is in full swing with musicals taking center stage at theaters around the region.

North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly dives under the sea with its next production, a colorful rendition of Disney's The Little Mermaid. With anticipation high for sold-out performances, the theater announced an extra week to the run, starting Tuesday, July 8, and playing through Sunday, July 27.

"I am delighted that Disney has allowed North Shore Music Theatre to be one of the first professional theaters in the country to produce The Little Mermaid," said NSMT owner and producer Bill Hanney. "The artists here have worked for months to bring this spectacular show to life on stage and make it the magical, must-see show of the summer."

'Jacques Brel...' runs through July 6 in Gloucester

Based on the Academy Award-winning 1989 Disney film and one of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved stories, Disney's The Little Mermaid is the story of the beautiful young mermaid Ariel, who longs to leave her ocean home behind and live in the world above.

Tickets are $50-$75. Kids 18 and under save 50 percent on Family Fridays July 11 and 18 at 8 p.m. Call 978-232-7200 or visit the box office at 62 Dunham Road, Beverly or nsmt.org.

Also on the North Shore, Gloucester Stage Company continues its run of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris through July 6. Visit gloucesterstage.com for details and tickets.

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And the Ogunquit Playhouse, up the coast in Ogunquit, Maine, brings Billy Elliot, The Musical, to life June 25-July 26. One of the first regional theaters in the U.S. to produce the show, it features Elton John's spectacular score and an inspirational story of a young boy's struggle against the odds to make his dream come true. Visit ogunquitplayhouse.org for tickets and details.

On the marquee

The Greater Lowell Music Theatre launches Fiddler on the Roof this weekend, starring Eddie Mekka,

TRADITION: The Greater Lowell Music Theatre launches its two-show summer season this weekend with Fiddler on the Roof, starring Eddie Mekka, best-known as Carmine on the hit TV sitcom Laverne and Shirley, as Tevye the milkman. Performances Friday-Saturday, June 27-28, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., in Durgin Hall on the UMass Lowell South Campus. Call 978-319-8867 or visit glmt.org for tickets.

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO BOSTON? American Repertory Theatre and Boston Circus Guild transform Oberon, the funky nightclub at Two Arrow St., Cambridge, into the Oberon Social Club the fourth Friday of each month this summer. Shows at 7 and 10 p.m. feature acrobatic feats, burlesque, aerial performances and more set to electroswing and jazz music. Shows are Fridays, June 27, July 25 and Aug. 22. Tickets start at $25. Oberon is ages 18 and up. Visit americanrepertorytheatre.org/events/show/speakeasy-circus... Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his breakout role as Bill Cosby's wisecracking son Theo Huxtable in the hit sitcom The Cosby Show, leads the cast in a new stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, playing Boston's Huntington Theatre Company Sept. 5-Oct. 5. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, June 24. Visit

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COME TO THE CABARET: Peacock Players and their graduating high school seniors present the 2014 Senior Cabaret Fundraiser, an evening of song, dance, refreshments, silent auction and celebration on Friday, June 27, at 7 p.m., at the Janice B. Streeter Theater, 14 Court St., Nashua, N.H. A portion of proceeds go to the Jared Nathan Scholarship for the Arts and the Peacock Players Scholarship Fund that assist local theater arts students. $20-$25 at peacockplayers.org.